Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions-Silva Mediterranea

Silva Mediterranea

Over 90 years of Mediterranean forest management

Third Mediterranean Forest Week (III MFW) - Tlemcen, Algeria 2013

Forest and natural areas are an integral part of Mediterranean territories. They are a source of energy, food, income and many other goods and services. Global changes (changes in societies, lifestyles and climate change), evident in the Mediterranean region, affect badly these ecosystems (degradation and biodiversity loss, increase of fire hazards, desertification). To meet these challenges:

The political and administrative authorities at national, regional and local level, as well as the stakeholders and civil society must adapt their strategies and methods of governance to the objectives of sustainable development of these territories;

Technicians are expected to develop and adapt good practices that should be broadcasted and shared.

After the success of the first two Mediterranean Forest Weeks, in 2010 in Antalya (Turkey) and in 2011 in Avignon (France), the Algerian authorities welcomed the third edition in Tlemcen on the following issue: "Mediterranean forests for sustainable development of territories: what strategies of mitigation and adaptation to global change?"

This event was supported by the Algerian Government, FAO, the French Ministry of Agriculture, the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions–Silva Mediterranea and its Turkish Presidency, the German International Cooperation (GIZ), Plan Bleu, the Mediterranean Model Forests Network (MMFN), the European Forest Institute-Mediterranean office (EFIMED), the International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM) and the forest Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC).

Objectives of the III MFW:

Strengthen exchanges and synergies between stakeholders involved in the integrated management of Mediterranean woodlands;

Launch, presentation and discussion on the State of Mediterranean Forests (SoMF);

Presentation and discussion on the draft of the Strategic Framework on Mediterranean Forests (SFMF): policy orientations for integrated management of forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean landscapes;

Presentation and discussion of a roadmap on Innovative Mechanisms for Funding (IMF);

Adopt the Declaration of Tlemcen incorporating key elements of the SFMF and key points from the discussions of the Third Mediterranean Forest Week (III MFW);

Consult with the main potential beneficiaries of goods and services provided by the forest sector (agriculture, water, energy, environment, tourism, etc.) in order to incorporate their expectations and actions in the strategic direction of the forest sector in Mediterranean countries;

Prepare a presentation of the results of the III MFW for the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF 10) to be held in Istanbul (Turkey) from April 9 to 18, 2013.